Why go
Read this before visiting the historic centre if dates alone do not explain what you see. Roman foundations, Islamic irrigation and trade, the 1238 conquest, medieval law and the fifteenth-century commercial boom form a clear sequence behind Valencia’s surviving monuments and civic institutions.
What to look for
- Look for the shift from Roman Valentia to Islamic Balansiya in the city’s story.
- Connect La Lonja’s mercantile setting with the fifteenth-century trade boom.
- Keep the Book of the Repartiment and the Furs in mind when reading the 1238 conquest.
The full story
Valencia was founded in 138 BC as Valentia Edetanorum, a Roman settlement associated with the consul Decimus Junius Brutus. A Christian community developed by the fourth century, followed by Visigothic rule and the Muslim conquest in the early eighth century. Under the name Balansiya, irrigation, cultivation and trade expanded, and the city became the centre of a Taifa kingdom. In 1238, Jaime I incorporated Valencia into the Crown of Aragon; the Book of the Repartiment records the redistribution of land, while the Furs established a legal framework in 1251. The fifteenth century brought a commercial and cultural high point. The Taula de Canvis supported trade, La Lonja was built in 1482, and the University followed in 1502. On a city walk, these chapters are best read as layers: Roman beginnings, Islamic water management, medieval institutions and the mercantile architecture of the Golden Age.
Useful to know
- Pair the history reading with La Lonja and the Cathedral area so institutions stay tied to visible places.
- Use the chronology selectively; the Roman, Islamic, medieval and Golden Age chapters are the strongest walking framework.